


An Annoying Journey

by Asianmanatea



Category: Akatsuki no Yona
Genre: F/F, F/M, Lesbian, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-08-06 06:44:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16383296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asianmanatea/pseuds/Asianmanatea
Summary: Ōkami and the HHB will travel Kouka and save the country. Ōkami has a big ‘ol dog, and she’s gay, so I guess that’s a plus.





	1. Chapter One: An Overprotective Sister

 

                      *SLAM*

    That idiot priest probably broke something again.

    _It’s nice having other people around_. I thought as I watched that girl with her mane of red hair sitting in the yard. That fire took my breath away every time I saw her.

    I heard Yoon’s voice as he shouted at Iksu.

    “What did you say?! Going along with those guys?! IKSU!” I hear from the other side of the cottage.

    “You….need to leave here. The princess needs your aid.”

    “Why do I have to?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

    _What? Leaving? He can’t leave!  
It was a mistake bringing them here! How dare that girl demand that Yoon accompany her! He’s my brother! He’d die within a week in the wilderness with them!_

    I was already scrambling towards the sound of Yoon’s voice when I realized that Yona was following.

    “Get away! You’re the one that’s causing him to leave!” She just blinked at me innocently.

  _As if she doesn’t know what she’s doing. Tch._

    My forehead slammed into the wall before I could stop it.

    “Ow!”

    “Ōkami! What are you doing?! Are you okay!?”

    “What’s it look like genius pretty boy?! Anyways, what’s all this talk about leaving with them!? That’s ridiculous! You wouldn’t survive out there!”

    “First off, wow, vote of confidence there. Second, THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN ASKING HIM!”

    Suddenly Yona peeped up,”I’m sorry I caused so much trouble, if it helps any, I’m not ordering Yoon to come with me. It’s his choice.”

    “Still…”

    “Still what?” She gazed at me with such intensity in those violet eyes that I almost fell and hit my head again. “Don’t you have any faith in Yoon to make his own decisions?”

    By that point I was completely stunned. This little girl who’s a foot shorter than me is speaking so openly! I smirked. Nevermind if Yoon even wanted to go with her he’d quit within a day!  
I realize that I’ve completely zoned out from the conversation that was occurring between Yoon and Iksu. Then I hear the words.

    “Fine, I’ll go.”

    “W-W-WHAT!!??” I sputter. _I must be going deaf._

    “I said that I’ll go.”

    “You can’t do that! Who’s gonna keep this idiot priest alive!?” I gestured towards him.

    “You. You’re staying here to make sure he survives.”

    “No Yoon! I won’t allow that!” _How could he even consider leaving me? Sure, we had an idiot priest to take care of, but I bet that if we left him long enough he’d learn to survive._

    Iksu broke into the conversation,”Yoon has made his choice Ōkami. If he wants to go, he can go.”

    “B-“

    “Yoon is almost a man by now.” His eyes softened,”You can’t be his big sister forever.”

    I sighed. He needs me. No. _I_ need him. We’ve always been together ever since Iksu took him in a year after me. But at this point I was just causing trouble, it was three against one.

    “Fine….” I grumbled, my voice cracking.

    After an awkward silence, Yona spoke,”Well I guess that settles it. Yoon, we’ll be leaving this afternoon.” _This afternoon?! That’s too soon! Can’t Yona at least give us some time to say goodbye?! She truly is a royal brat!_

    “Before you do that Yona, come with me to the waterfall.” Iksu said.

    I slowly backed into the woods as Yoon headed to the kitchen and Iksu and Yona walked to the waterfall.

    I needed Sora. I wandered into the clearing where I usually found her, and whistled. Out of nowhere, I feel something push me to the ground from behind. And I feel the softness of a dense fur coat.

    “Sora! Off girl!” I groaned. And then I could breathe again. I scraped off the grass from my pants and turned around to cup her face in my hands and rub her ears. She made a little satisfied groan when I did.

    “Who’s my sweet little lady huh? Wanna go hunting with me?” I grabbed my halberd from under a log and swung it over my shoulder as we walked further into the undergrowth. Sora was snuffling through the fallen leaves when an idea struck me.

  _I could probably wait along the path as they left and follow them from a distance_! Something hot shot through my blood. _But what would happen to Iksu? I’m so selfish, I didn’t even think of him! If I left him some preserves or dried meat he could probably survive-if he wasn’t such an idiot. How to go about this? I don’t want to disobey Iksu, just thinking about it makes my stomach churn._

    Sora whined behind me. Oh no. _Nothing_ scares her. I look up. _Shit_. It’s a black bear. And she has cubs.

    Slowly, I walked away backwards, keeping my eye on the beast. Sora copies me and we both move as slow as a glacier. And then I feel something brush across my leg. And when I look down, it’s another cub. _Shitshitshitshit_ _I’m screwed_. Absolutely _screwed_. I tried backing up again, try my luck right? Well, luck wasn’t on my side. As soon as I blinked she charged at me. I whipped out my halberd and struggled against the sheer strength of the animal.

    “Yoon! Iksu! Anybody!” I shrieked. As I grappled with the bear I managed to cut the underside of her arm and she released me. Sora barked at her for good measure and the bear and her cubs wandered off into the woods, the only evidence of them being there was my blood.

    My vision started to go blurry and an ocean of black waves overcame me as I staggered towards the house.

    I mustered the last dregs of my energy to call, “Yoon…” The last thing I saw was his face peering out of the window as I plummeted towards the forest floor.


	2. Recovery

    My mind felt fuzzy. And thick. So so thick. I could barely begin to figure out where I was when I was jolted back into consciousness.

    Yoon must’ve seen my eyelids flutter, because he spoke even though his focus was mainly on the herbs he was sorting.

    “So…… Have you always had that dog?” _How could Yoon know about Sora?_

  
    “Wh-what…….happ…...ened?” I rasped, my throat like a hive of wasps.

    “Just gonna ignore the question huh? Well, like the idiot big sister you are, decided to pick a fight with a bear.”

    “Oh….. I remember now.” Yoon was being too calm. _I know what’s going to happen next._

    “Seriously, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!? WEREN'T YOU LOOKING IN FRONT OF YOU?! YOU COULD’VE BEEN KILLED! Did you know what I would do if……” He choked back a sob.  
I felt a burst of shame, as if I had just been stabbed. _How could I react like that? And worst of all, why didn’t I think of Yoon’s feelings?! I’m such a bad sister. Maybe Yoon really should go with them after all._ I tried to express how guilty I was, tried to explain the pain in my heart, but what came out instead was,”How long have I been asleep?”

    “Hmmm…. I don’t really know, I haven’t slept, but if I had to take a guess I would say it’s been three days.” _Three days?! Has Yona and Hak already left?_ I felt sick knowing how many days I’ve delayed their journey.

    “O-oh uh, has Hak and Yona left?” _No that’s all wrong! I cost them precious time but I can’t articulate how guilty I am for it!_

    “No actually, they’ve been waiting for you to recover. Well, Yona has, but wherever she is, he’s there.” There was a hint of irritation in his voice.

    “Are you- no, that’s not right. What I wanted to say Yoon is, I’m sorry. So utterly sorry. I’m sorry for overreacting like that. Sorry for trying to keep you away from the world. Sorry for running off into the woods and delaying your new future. Gods Yoon, I just-I just can’t describe what I’m feeling to you.”

    There was silence so thick, it was like molasses. He finally broke the tension with a joke,”Did the bear hit you on the head too hard Ōkami?”

    “Heh, maybe. Thanks for taking care of me Yoon.”

    “Just don’t go fighting anymore bears. Go to sleep.” Just as I was slipping away, I remembered Sora.

    “Hey, uh, Yoon?” I mumbled.

    “Yeah?”

    “Is my dog okay?”

    “Better than okay actually. He-she whatever it is, has been cuddling up to Yona.” He answered.

    “Good, good…..” And before I knew it I was sleeping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while!!!


	3. Chapter Three: A Little Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the updates are so scattered, I’m primarily on ff.net!

    I stepped out of the dark room and emerged into the sunlight, warming me to my bones. I stood outside and enjoyed the summer breeze.

    “Sora!!!” I called. I saw a glint of red out of the corner of my eye and whipped my head around to see Yona chasing Sora. The dog was barreling towards me at full speed, and since I still wasn’t fully recovered, she bowled me over. Her rough tongue covered me with kisses as I struggled under her weight.

    “Sora!! Get off!!” She ceased her kisses but decided that she would sit on me instead. A dull pain emerged on my shoulder and I vaguely remembered that that was where the bear had clawed me.  
I pushed Sora off of me with the help of Yona and I managed to avoid her charging at me again.

    “Are you okay Ōkami?!” Yona looked frantic. _I’m not that fragile._

    “Yeah, I’m fine. She does that all the time.” There was a hint of awkwardness in her stance, which I assumed was from how I treated her. Just remembering made me cringe.

    “Is her name Sora?” She asked, saving me from my own thoughts.

    “Yeah, I named her that because of her eyes, they’re the color of the sky.”  
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Someone was watching. In an instant, I knocked Yona down as I heard a faint whistle coming from the woods. In a flash, I caught an arrow that would’ve otherwise skewered my eye. My breath hitched as I comprehended what had happened. It left my hand feeling warm and I realized that it had slightly burned me because of how fast it was going.

    “Stay down Yona.” I clutched the arrow in my fist, heading towards the trees,” I’m going to see who our visitor is.”

    I crept along the forest floor, careful not to ruin the birdsong with the crunching of leaves. The wind was rustling the leaves fiercely, so I doubt it would have made a difference, but you can never be too careful. I listened carefully for an unnatural stir of air, waiting to either ambush someone, or be ambushed.

   There was a slight gust of air behind me and I whirled around and all I saw was blue, a blue fabric moving with the wind. I let out a sigh of relief. It was only Hak.

    But as soon as I let my hand drop to my side, he shoved me into a tree. _What is he doing?!?_ I squirmed, trying to slip out but his arms had me pinned like a bunny in the grasp of a wolf. If he wasn’t going to let go, I would fight back.  
I kneed him in the groin, it was foolish of him to leave my legs free. He recoiled and I slashed at him with the arrow. We went back and forth, back and forth. Block. Hit. Block. Hit. I was thankful that he didn’t have his quandao, I would’ve been demolished.

    “What’s gotten into you?!” No answer. “Hak!!” In my struggle, I stabbed him as deep as I could in the shoulder and made a wild dash for the edge of the forest.  
I stumbled for a second, but regained my balance. There were the vibrations of thundering footsteps behind me, and I made the mistake of turning my head to look at him. I tripped over a stray branch, and fell, my own body weight pinning my good arm beneath me.  
I gasped in pain. Hak had his hand gouging at my shoulder wound. My vision became fuzzy, my breaths short and rapid. My lips and arms felt numb from the sudden exchange of air and all coherent thoughts vanished from my mind. Fueled by adrenaline and pure pain-induced instinct, I let out an animalistic growl and bit down on his arm. He let go of me with a snort of frustration and I bolted.

    But strangely, he didn’t continue hunting me. I noticed in the dim light of the forest that he had a slight smirk on his face. Furrowing my eyebrows, but relieved nonetheless, I made it back to the safety of the yard.

    She was sitting in the same spot where I left her, her eyes unfocused. I collapsed into her. She cried, “What happened?!” She ran her fingers over my bandages shoulder and they came away red. “Ōkami, tell me what happened!!!”  
I wasn’t fully there until I felt a splash of water onto my chest as she cradled me. She had a haunted look in her eye, as if reliving something from her past.

    “It was Hak.” I coughed.

    “What do you mean, ‘it was Hak’? He would never do this, especially to a friend!!” As she finished her sentence, a dark figure emerged from the woods.


	4. Chapter Four: A Duel

    He had a slight smirk on his face, shoulders trembling with barely contained laughter.

    “You’re a fighter Ōkami!” He shouted, still a good twenty meters away. “Since you got so upset us leaving that you fought a bear, why not come with us?”

    I sighed. “Was this some kind of test? Or a joke?”

    “The first guess.” My eyes narrowed and I shook my head in disbelief.”Yona, go get me my halberd. It’s in my room.”

    “Bu-“ Yona shook her head vigorously.  
“Please get it for me.”

    “....Fine.” She ran back into the house, leaving me alone with Hak. With a cat-like grin, he crouched down to get in eye level with me as I sat on the ground.

    “Are you sure you want to fight me? I’m not called the Thunderbeast for nothing you know. Oh yeah, and you should probably try to stop that bleeding too. I’ll go ask Yoon for some bandages.”

    “Why?”

    “Hm? What do you mean?” He asked.

    “You were the one that fucking attacked me and made me bleed! And now you’re laughing it off and trying to get me bandages?!”

    “I told you, it was a test.” He grinned evilly. “And a pretty easy one at that.”

  
    I glared at him, pouring as much hate as I could into it. “Listen bud, if you have a death wish, you should’ve gone to The Gods, not me.” Even though I tried my hardest, he still had a good four inches on me, so I doubt I intimidated him.  
Yona came staggering out of the house clutching my halberd, struggling to keep it upright as she tottered closer. I relieved her of it and hefted the weapon over my shoulder, making sure Hak had time to pick up his quandao. I swung the weapon behind me stretching out my left arm and positioning my body slightly sideways, so that I could block an attack. He had his quandao over his shoulders, not even bothering to take up a defensive position. _That’s it. I’m sick of this cocky bastard. I don’t care if he’s Yona’s bodyguard, I’m going all out, and he better too._

    I stood there waiting for him to make the first move, but after fifteen seconds of stagnant air, he signaled me to attack. I lunged at him, making use of my momentum to swing my halberd. He seemed taken aback by my ferocity but quickly recovered. I skidded to a halt as I turned back around to block him. The two weapons caused sparks to fly as they ground against each other. I finally relented and hopped back in time for him to just miss me. It didn’t take him long to recover, because in an instant he was back to slashing at me.

    I felt a dull pain in my shoulder, but it quickly became nonexistent from the adrenaline. After a quick flurry of blows, I managed to make a shallow cut on his leg. I quickly hopped away again. Maybe his build would become a hindrance in battle for once. I was smaller, so that meant that I could easily duck and hit him quickly. He came down on me with a blow but I crouched and sliced his the underside of his arm. I tried to twist away as his quandao came whistling back at me, but I was too surprised that he could make such a quick movement that he cut me briefly on my back.

    I let out a grunt and punched him in the gut to get away and tackled him to the ground. I got the handle of his weapon in the crook of my halberd and sent it spiraling away. As we were rolling around I pinned him by the throat and gave him a toothy grin. I drew my halberd and left it hovering an inch from his eyes.

    We stayed there, both of us breathing heavily and he held up his hands in surrender. I allowed myself a cocky smile, but in truth, I was exhausted. My chest was heaving, and my throat burned. I got off and turned away to set down my halberd, although I fumbled because I was shaking so hard. In an instant, I felt the cold of a blade pressed against my exposed back. He leaned in and whispered.

    “Never turn your back to your enemy.” I sighed and gently pushed away the weapon.

    “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be more careful next time.” He walked away and we both collapsed onto the ground, exhausted almost to the point of fainting.

    All of a sudden Yoon came from the path that led to the village and his eyes widened as he took a good look at us. I must’ve looked pretty bad, since he sprinted into the house immediately without even a word of reprimand.  
He came out of the house with rolls of bandages in his arms, some of them falling into the lawn. He sat down beside me and started bandaging my wounds, being a little rougher than needed in my opinion though. _Here comes the yelling. 3. 2. 1._

    “WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!? IF YOU’RE GONNA KEEP PICKING FIGHTS LIKE THIS IT’D BE BETTER IF I DIDN’T PATCH YOU GUYS UP AT ALL!” Even as he yelled at us he continued to wrap us in bandages. _He really does care, although I wish he didn’t show it in such a loud way._ “ESPECIALLY YOU OKAMI! LOOK AT YOU, YOU JUST HAD A FIGHT WITH A BEAR, A GODDAMN BEAR! AND NOW YOU’VE REOPENED THE WOUND!! IT COULD GET INFECTED AND YOUR ARM COULD FALL OFF YOU KNOW!!” _Sure, Yoon. Sure……_  
    Hak took the brief moment of silence to butt in,” Sorry Yoon, it’s my fault. I wanted to see if she would slow us down. But I might have taken it a little too far.” I blinked. _A little too far?_

    “Slow us down? But she’s not coming….” Yoon paused. “Are you Ōkami?”

    I sighed. _He’s gonna yell at me again._ “Yoon, we both know I would’ve snuck along anyway.”

    “B-but you’re a girl. You can’t come! It’d be too hard for you, especially since you fought a bear. On top of that, you fought another kind of ‘bear’.” He gestured towards Hak. As he finished I realized that I had forgotten that Yona was still there. That girl is so quiet. But she had a look in her eyes that told me her silence was actually just her watching, and calculating her next move.

    “Yoon, just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean she can’t be strong.” She glared at Yoon in such a way it almost made me pity him. “Look at her. She fought the general of the Wind Tribe and won. You should be grateful that you have someone that’s loyal enough to do that.” _Yona...might not be so bad after all. Hak still needs some improvement though._

    “Well, um, but, but she…….”

    “Yoon, stop arguing with her flawless logic and patch me up. I’m literally bleeding out.” The pain was really starting to get to me now that the shock had worn off.

    “Fine, I’ll drop it, but Iksu wouldn’t survive alone out here, someone has to take care of him.” He moved behind me, bandaging the cut on my back.  
There were footsteps crunching on gravel. I looked up at the same time Hak did, both of us knowing that the footfalls were too heavy to be an animal’s. But then we heard the distinctive flomp and a short oof and sighed as we realized that it was Iksu.

    He stopped as he saw Yoon bandaging me. He never really did do well with blood.

    “Ōkami, you can't leave.” His voice was firm and cold, but his eyes gave him away. They were like a shattered window, broken and sharp. I simply looked at him and understood. His obligation as a priest controls his words, but his feelings are those of a father. A father who wants his children to see the world, not look after some fool. It only lasted a moment, but I had made up my mind.


	5. Chapter Five: Starting the Journey

    I grabbed my bags and halberd and called for Sora. We figured she’d be useful for hunting and whatnot.

Hak and I set the pace, stumbling around, sore from the match yesterday. We hobbled along, and I risked a glance back at the house. The only thing I’d ever known except for my old village. It was home, I had grown up there, learned, and been loved there. But all birds have to leave the nest at some point.

    Iksu stood on the doorstep, simply watching as we continued down the path. As I turned away, I could’ve sworn a stubborn tear ran down an otherwise smiling face.

    We soon arrived at a village, and I helped Hak stuff Yona into a bag, although not unscathed. _Who would’ve thought such a sweet little princess could be so vicious?_ I thought. We passed by an old farmer pulling a cart behind him. My face became damp from sweat as we drew near. Yoon stopped by to have a little chat, and I felt something poke my rib cage.

    “Stop hiding your face in your cloak, it’s suspicious!” Hak hissed. _I’ve been doing that? Hm. It must be a nervous habit._

    “Says the man with a big hat to hide his face and a body-shaped bag over his shoulder!” I snapped back.

    “Touché.”

    “Stop bickering like an old married couple you two! Let’s go!” They all exchanged some words while I kept quiet.

    Yoon led the way and we soon arrived at a forest. I helped Yona out of the bag and she immediately stomped off.

“Priiiiiiiiincess. Priiiiiiiincess.” Hak called in a monotone voice. “What are you mad about? Is it because I packed you in a bag and carried you over my shoulders? Is it because I said there were clothes in the bag and I treated you roughly? Or is it because I felt up the good stuff in the bag?”

    Yona clenched her fist and growled, ”Everything.”

    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yona practically chase Hak up a tree and shrugged. _I’m gonna have to get used to them eventually. Which reminds me, I still have to clear things up with Hak and his little ‘test’._

    Yoon mumbled,” The bag that was supposed to have clothes in it started squirming around…...and I was really nervous that the old man had found us out.” He paused and eyed them. “Are you two alright?” I glanced at them in amusement. They were still at it.  
He pointed at us consecutively. “Red-haired princess!” He pointed at Hak. “Ex-general beast Raijuu!” And lastly, me. “Stunningly terrify-I mean-beautiful sister! You guys stick out like a sore thumb! Especially you two, quiet it down, you’ll attract too much attention!”

    They both nodded meekly. “Yes.” _Ah, they’re already becoming obedient!_

    “Now then,” Yoon pulled out a map and continued,” The village of the Dragon Warrior should be right about...here.” He pointed at a set of mountain ranges. _Finding a Dragon Warrior? What’s he talking about?_

    “Um, sorry, but what are you guys talking about?” I looked at them in confusion.

    “Oh yeah, you weren’t there when Iksu explained,” Hak replied. “He spouted this weird prophecy which claimed that I would die if we didn’t find one of these warriors. I don’t buy it, but Yona seems pretty hard set on it.”

    “You’re telling me the Dragon Warriors are real? I thought they were just made up.”

    Yona gasped,” But your father is a priest, how could you not believe in them?”

    “Er, I guess it doesn’t really make sense to me?” I fidgeted with the hem of my cloak.”I mean, this god person comes down and turns regular people into half-gods? It just doesn’t really seem possible to me.” Nobody spoke after that, but Yoon saved me when he said,

    “Well anyways, one of them lives in these mountains right here.” He pointed on the map again.”It’s near the capital and the Fire Tribe though, so we should be careful.”

    “It’s near the border too, huh?” Hak smirked,” Near Kaitei and the capital….” I half-heartedly stroked Sora’s fur as I contemplated our problem. _If we got too close to Kaitei, the capital, or the Fire Tribe, we’ll be in serious trouble. We need to find a safe route that isn't too hard to travel on. Yona could have some trouble getting up a steep path, not to mention Hak and I_. I vaguely heard Yoon yelling at Hak for something, and snatched the map out of Yoon’s bag as he ran by.

    I unrolled it and pointed a section of the map that showed a small valley. It was a little too close to the capital than I would’ve liked, but if we were careful it might work. “Hak! Stop messing around with my brother!” I jabbed him in the gut.”You know the area around Kuuto pretty well, right? Is this place safe to go through?” I pointed to the valley.

    “It should be. Heh, unless they built a castle while I was resting.” He joked.”But yeah, it’s safe. Good eye Ōkami!” _For a guy that will attack you in the woods as a ‘test’, he’s actually quite likable… But I still have to keep my guard up around him. Something about him just doesn’t sit right with me._

    “Thanks….we have to head Northwest right?”

    “Yeah. While we still have daylight, let’s get moving.”

    We started to head down the trail when the footsteps behind me suddenly ceased.

    “Will the soldiers attack us again?” Yona had a slight quiver in her voice, and was covering part of her face with her cloak. _This poor girl. What exactly did they do to her? I wasn’t really listening when they explained, although I wish I had._

    “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” He said it with a smile, but I could tell he was worried about her.

    Yoon quipped,” While you’re at it, protect me too, I’m weak.”

    “I need to learn swordsmanship. You can teach me on the road Hak.” Coming from that small weak girl, it would’ve been ridiculous, if not for her circumstances. Hak’s eyes went from wide in surprise to narrow slits.

    “Could you kill a person?” Hak’s voice was low and cold.”Even if you repel them, you can’t give enemies the chance to flee. You need to hurt them to the point where they’re beyond recovery and kill them. Could you do that?” Yona stood as still as a tree on a windless day.

    I attempted to lighten the mood.  
“Heh, no need for that Yona. You saw me fight Raiju right? Us together provide more than enough protection.” But they ignored me.

    “At that time, even though you had a sword you didn’t use it at all.”

    Yona’s face was scrunched up with unease as she replied,” Even if I can’t match up against them, or kill them, I want to at least create an opening for you and I to get away.”

  
    Hak rubbed his chin.”Swordsmanship for self-defense… Surely you’ll need that.”

    Yona’s face brightened as she asked,” Does that mean you’ll teach me?”

    “Your upper body strength isn’t the greatest and I don’t want you to be on the front lines, so here.” He chucked the bow and quiver from his back to Yona. It landed in her arms with a dull thud and her arms struggled to hold it. _A bow, huh? I suppose it would be easier for her to carry._

    “Princess, I’m going against your father's wishes. King Il hated weapons. Think about why his majesty hated weapons.” Yona clutched the bow tightly.”But you might as well practice while we’re heading to the village.”

    We walked along for a bit before Yoon asked,” I wonder if you can kill birds and rabbits with that. Sure, Sora can hunt a lot of things, but she would never be able to catch a bird. Would you be able to?” Yoon paused for a moment and continued.”I-if you don’t mind, of course.”

    “If you don’t wanna, then I could go hunt with Sora. But I really think that it would give you great practice though.” I said. We walked for about an hour, Yona trying to shoot a bird the whole way. It was getting kind of annoying; the _fwoosh_ and _whack_ of the arrows creating an unsteady beat that drove me insane.  
Hak must’ve felt the same way, he grabbed the bow and arrow from her hands and shot an arrow straight at a bird. In three seconds it fell to the ground, the arrow directly piercing the heart. _Show off. But it was pretty cool._

    “How did you do that?!” Yona exclaimed. “I can’t even hit one!”

    “I aimed.”

    “I don’t get it, Hak.”

    “You’re a terrible teacher Hak! I can barely shoot an arrow fifteen feet, but I bet I could teach her better than you!” I was exasperated. _How did the soldiers he trained ever learn anything?!_

    “I can! Look, I’ll show you!”He turned to face Yona. ”Ok, so basically you don’t have enough strength. Your arms shake when you aim, and that’s why you’re missing. Draw the bow with full strength and aim on instinct. Some of the best archers close their eyes when they shoot, so they aren’t fooled by their eyes. For now, though, focus on shooting the arrow straight.” Yona nodded.

    “Alright, you might be able to teach her. But when you’re finished, I want lessons too.” I admitted begrudgingly.

    He smirked at me and said,” I doubt I’d be able to teach you much, you’re as clumsy as a toad!” He chuckled, and as I lunged to tackle him, I tripped over my own feet, and his laugh turned into full-on guffawing.

    Night soon fell, and I let the sound of crickets lure me into sleep as I snuggled against Yoon to keep him warm. Well, maybe _I_ was the one that needed the warmth. We usually slept like that at home too, the walls of the house sometimes let in a draft.

    I was asleep for maybe four hours when I was roused by a noise. _Fwap_. _Fwap. Fwap. What is that irksome noise?! It almost sounds like….arrows? Shit, are we under attack!?_ I threw the blanket off of me, much to the discomfort of Yoon, who curled in on himself as I prodded him to get him to wake up.

    “Ugh, what-what is it Ōkami? It’s like three in the morning, sis!”

    “Yoon, I think we’re under attack!”

    “Hungh? Whaddya say?”  
I lightly slapped him on the face.”Wake up, Yoon! I think we’re under attack!” It took him a second to process my words, but his eyes soon widened in fear.

    “Stay here while I check it out, okay?” I crept out of our makeshift bed and ruffled his hair in reassurance as I tiptoed around him. I rummaged through our stuff and took out my halberd. Every rustle of fabric as I unwrapped it grated against my ears.

    I felt a disturbance behind me and whipped around with my weapon in hand, ready to fight. Hak held up his hands and my shoulders relaxed.

    “Do you know what that noise is? It sounds like arrows, are we being attacked?!” My hands were shaking as I faced him.

    “Hey, hey, calm down. It’s just Yona practicing her bow and arrows. Why are you so panicked? Did you see something?”

    “It’s nothing…it just reminds me of something that happened in the past.”  
He regarded me with a somewhat worried look, but went on,” Well, since you’re already up I need you to watch over Yona for a bit. I need to go pee.”

    “Um, okay. But I gotta go tell Yoon that everything’s ok.” _Why did he even tell me that? I could understand if he said it if I asked. What a weird guy._

    “Don’t worry about that, when I passed by him he was panicking like a little bird, and he told me that you thought we were being attacked, so I told him that it was just Yona.”

    I looked at him.”You better not be lying. When I come back Yoon better be calm. The stress isn’t good for him.”

    “Don’t worry, he’s fine. She’s over there by the way.” He pointed to a patch of undergrowth. “Keep her safe.”

    I walked over to where Hak told me she was, and settled down in the bushes to watch. There was definitely some improvement from where she was the previous afternoon. Her arrows flew straighter, and she hit the tree about seven times out of ten, which was pretty amazing progress compared to her not even being able to shoot without her arms shaking. _She must really love this country if she’s willing to take up the bow like this. She could’ve just given up and stayed in Fuuga, or let Hak protect her. I judged her wrong when we first met. I always thought that she was a lazy princess. But look at her. She’s becoming stronger, and I feel a strange sense of pride and an urge to protect her whenever I look at her.  
_

    I was so enthralled with her that I failed to notice the footsteps behind me. I only realized my mistake as I felt the cold edge of a blade against my throat.


	6. Chapter Six: Why Does This Always Happen?

    “Don’t even think about touching that weapon of yours missy. If you do, my men will kill that feeble little girl over there, got it?” A rough voice whispered in my ear, his breath smelling like rancid meat. I nodded dumbly. _Ah shit, I’m injured too._

  
    “That’s a good girl. Now just give us all your valuables without a fuss and you’ll get away with nothing more than a scratch missy.” He paused to lick his lips. “Well, maybe something….more too.” I shuddered as sweat ran down my back. _If I just stall long enough, then maybe Yoon could run away and Hak could come and save us. Although he’s probably in worse shape than I am._

  
    I shrunk as I looked him in the eyes. “The-the bags are this way.” _You can do this Ōkami. You’re_ definitely _not actually scared or anything. Yep, yep, just pretending to be scared so that they lower their guard._

    I led them away from the clearing and towards our bags. There were men all around me, many hidden in the shadows and not even bothering to be silent.  
Leaves and twigs cracked underfoot as I glanced around me for Hak. _Where is that idiot when you need him? And where’s Sora?!_

    “Whatcha lookin’ around for? Keep moving!” There was a quick push from behind me and I tripped. My face burned as I lay on the ground, laughter echoing all around me. I struggled to my feet as the snickers died down, wishing that _they’d_ die too.  
    “Yeah, yeah I’m getting up,” I muttered. _I’m getting the same feeling as back then….. Who’ll die this time? SNAP OUT OF IT ŌKAMI!!!! You’re better than this. Keep your head and stay strong._

    There was a quiet growl, barely perceptible to any ears other than mine. I know what my dog sounds like. Suddenly Yona’s clear and utterly oblivious voice cut through my thoughts.

    “Who are you people!? Umf!! Let go of me!!” She screeched.

    The bandit muttered something that sounded a lot like,” Oh good, she found us..”

    “Yon-“ He seized my arm and snarled,” Don’t.” I shook him off like the flea he was. There was a rustling in the bushes, followed by a shuffling gait.

    “Who’s there!?” One of the men shouted. “Show yourself!” A slinking animal strode out of the underbrush, showing its dagger-like teeth. Hak came beside her, twirling his glaive. There was an animalistic gleam in his eyes. He tore through the crowd like lightning; the mens’ screams were abruptly cut off as Sora closed their windpipes in her jaws.

    “D-Don’t come near me!!” A man had a small dagger pressed against Yona’s neck. “I’ll k-kill her!! Stay back!”  
The brute beside me began to retreat, but I punched him before he could. Hard. My shoulder zinged.

   “Bastard,” I muttered, stepping away from his limp body. I picked a sword off of him and slashed my way to where Hak was. _I need to end this quickly or else my wounds will never heal._ He looked…..off. There was something in his stance-his eyes, that I couldn’t pinpoint. Something in the way how he fought without any care for his own well-being. He didn’t even notice when I pressed my back against his. _He must really love that girl, huh? Or he’s an idiot._

    I took a glance at where Yona was, still at the mercy of the bandit. He was the last of the men left.

    There was no fear in Yona’s eyes, strangely. It was as if she knew that her Thunder Beast would save her. Hak, however, wasn’t sure. To be honest, I was as scared as he was- maybe even more so. I could feel his trembling through my back, although his face stayed as hard as stone. He _definitely_ didn’t look in the state to think properly let alone talk, so I made the next move.

    “Release her!! You won’t like the consequences.” I grinned at him toothily, purposefully showing him my canines. He squeaked, but still refused to stand down. I narrowed my eyes. If talking wouldn’t work, then I’d have to use force. I whispered to Hak,” You and I walk towards him while Sora goes around from behind, ok?” His nod was barely perceptible and we both made a hesitant step forward.

    The man pulled Yona closer to him and whimpered.

    My body moved another step closer. And another. He was shaking by the time I was a mere 15 feet away. I pulled my eyes away from where Sora was approaching and looked him dead in the eye.

    “Give. Her. To. Me. Now.” After a slight pause, I tilted my head. “I promise I won’t hurt you if you give her back.” His stance started to relax as he loosened his grip on Yona. I glanced at Sora.

   “Come!” I called. She came barreling towards him and abruptly knocked him down. Man, it was great having a dog. Yona jabbed the man with her elbow before running up to us with Sora in toe. I patted Sora on the head while Hak was busy worrying over her and grumbling about how he’d kill them.

    “Oi, Yoon!” I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled. “Where are ya?” I left Yona in Hak and Sora’s care as I searched for my brother. I searched around the woods for a while, struggling to get through the tangled undergrowth. I parted a particularly dense cluster of branches and my eyes settled on the crouching form of Yoon.

    “C’mon Hak and Yona are waiting for us back there.” I held out both hands and hoisted him up. His eyes were focused somewhere behind me. “Hey, what’re you looking at, my face is righ-“

    There was something cold in my lower back. I looked down to find the end of my blade sticking through my abdomen. “Oh for the love of-“ There was an excruciating shock as it twisted and pulled out. The last thing I remember was Yoon’s wide eyes and the heavy footsteps of my assailant fleeing.


	7. Chapter Seven: Unlucky

    I was in a dark place. It was as if the moon and the stars were plucked out of the sky, leaving inky blackness all around me. There were faces swarming around me, grey and almost liquid. Unseen hands grabbed at me; my hair, my arms, my cloak. I tried to scream, but their hands burned me when I tried. Then they all melted into something red. Blood. It pooled around me in a whirlpool determined to drag me down with it. Zing. A pin pricked my side until it grew into a sword. How odd it was to see something sticking out of you from one side to the next.

    A pair of wide blue eyes loomed out of the darkness as I fizzled back into consciousness, black still clouding my vision.

    “Honestly how you do this _every_ time never ceases to amaze me.” He gave me a “disappointed mother look”.

    “Same here, but did the bastard really have to twist it as he pulled the blade out?” I gently prodded my stomach. “I mean like, I get how it inflicts more damage but still.”

    “Your guess is as good as mine, but back to my point.” He flicked my forehead. “You seriously need to stop doing this or you’re gonna die in less than a year at this rate.”

    “Hopefully.” I shuffled around in blankets that were covering me and took a peek at my stomach. Ouch. There were so many bandages that it looked like I had a lump. “This is gonna leave a scar.”

    “Oh no, no. It’s gonna turn into a rainbow and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.” Yoon snarked.

    I looked around the tent. “Where are we by the way? It seems colder than where the bandits attacked us.”

   “We’re just a few miles from the village; we didn’t wanna go there until you woke up.”

    I came to a sudden realization. “Ah, speaking of waking up…. how long was I out this time?”

    A head peeked through the flap in the tent. “Four days.” Hak looked at me with a dead expression. “Yona’s been so anxious to go to the village that she’s been pestering me nonstop. You really gotta work on the amount of time you’re asleep for.”

    _Jeez, four days?! This is now seven days in total that I’ve slowed us down._ “Well, a girl needs her beauty sleep.” I said. “Heh, not like I need it anyway.”

    “Yeah…..sure.” And promptly disappeared back outside.

    “And about that whole beauty stuff, uh…. you might wanna look in a mirror.” Yoon looked at his hands.

    “Are you calling me ugly?!” _This brat of a brother._

    “No, I’m just saying that you should mayyybbbbee look in a mirror.” He dug around in one of the bags and produced a small piece of glass.

    He held it up to me and I screeched. “DEAR GODS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAIR. DO NONE OF YOU HAVE THE DECENCY TO BRUSH AN UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN’S HAIR?!” I tried to brush it out with my fingers, but they couldn’t get through the tangled mess. “Get me a brush _stat_.”

    “Uh, the thing is we think that it went missing in the attack, so……”

    “You’re telling me we don’t have a brush in the moment I need it the most?!” I let out a groan. “Just take me to the nearest river and I’ll try to fix this rat’s nest.”

    Yoon gave me that sheepish look again. “Oh don’t tell me we’re not near a river!” He shook his head. “Ughhh!!” _I give up. Kill me now, whatever gods are out there._ I let myself go limp and fell back into the blankets. _How am I supposed to go to a Dragon Warrior’s village looking like_ this _?!_

    “When are we leavinggggg?”

    “We were actually planning on leaving as soon as you woke up, so let’s go.” I let out another frustrated groan.

    “But I’m in no state to walk!” I whined. “Someone literally stabbed me!”

    He winced. “That’s why…...why we’re gonna have, uh, Hak…..carry you?” _Say what now? Oh I’m definitely going deaf. Me, ride on that man?! Please just annihilate me where I lay_.

    Hak peeked his head in again. “Are we ready to go yet?” Yoon nodded and before I could stop him, Hak lifted me up onto his back, somehow managing to carry his glaive at the same time.

    “Wh-Hey! Aren’t you wounded too?!”

    “Yeah, but not as bad as you.” As we stepped out of the tent the sudden light gave me a blinding headache. My head flopped into his shoulder as I gritted my teeth.

    “Geez, you smell.”

    “I’m going to murder you all I’m your sleep tonight.” Which was probably not very threatening coming from a delirious, rat nest haired wounded girl. And then I passed out again out of sheer exhaustion, which was the _obvious_ choice.

 

When I came to, I found myself being thrown by Hak onto some tree roots.

    “Fucking hell! What the hell is happening now?!”

    Hak smirked at me. “Oh I just needed to let you down so I can teach Yona something.” I muttered some unpleasant things under my breath as I settled down. It seemed we were still in a forest, although now there was a pretty good haze of fog.

    “Where’s Yoon?”

    “I just sent him up ahead, now hush.” He twirled an arrow between his fingers and handed it to Yona. “Now then, show your mentor…..how much you’ve improved.” He pointed behind him at the tree I was sitting under.

    “Alright, first this tree.” Yona aimed, and I scrambled away as an arrow embedded itself where my head used to be.

    “Hey, watch it!” I screeched.

    “Sorry Ōkami, I was trying to aim a little higher.” She scratched the back of her head.

    “Well congratulations! I knew you could actually hit something!” Hak clapped his hands and grinned.

    Yona had a devilish look on her face. “I wonder why that sounds annoying to me.”

    Hak walked a little ways to the right and scratched his chin. “And now……..I’ve got it.” He pointed his thumb at himself. “Please..aim at me.”

    Yona’s eyes went wide. “I can’t!”

    “I’ll avoid it, so it’s fine. It’s practice to shoot animate things.” He rested his glaive on one shoulder. “No...It's practice to shoot a person. I’ll be moving around adequately, so...shoot me.”

    Yona grabbed an arrow and aimed. “I don’t know what will happen if I shoot you, so don’t blame me!” Hak sidestepped and I watched the arrow fly off. After that, she started chasing him around the mountain for a bit, so I got up and hobbled after them, although I don’t think they noticed me. Countless arrows were let loose, all of them hitting their mark on the forest floor. I pushed away a couple branches and watched.

    “JEEZ, HAK!” She scrambled after him as he took a flying leap. “STOP RUNNING AROUND!!”

    He took a look behind him. “You still have no desire...to shoot me down at all.”

    She fired a few more arrows. “You!!”

    Hak caught an arrow as it flew past him and snapped it. “You still don’t have enough intent to kill.” He dropped the useless sticks.

    “It’s not that I don’t have an intent to kill!” Yona shouted.

    “Then think of me as someone who is pursuing you.” He swung his glaive around absentmindedly. “Whether I’m from the Fire Tribe or a castle soldier...Imagine an opponent that you want to kill.”

    She aimed another arrow at him. “I don’t have an opponent like that!”

    “I see. Well then..” He backed up against a tree. “Imagine that I’m Soowon and shoot.” Even I flinched. I didn’t know the whole story, but I caught enough of it to understand what he did.

    Yona’s eyes ignited, and she gripped the bow until her knuckles turned white. Whoosh. An arrow hit the tree next to his face, leaving a shallow cut on his cheek. His eyes widened for a moment, but then he took on a somber expression. _Oh shiiiiiiit._

    She stood there, with her head bowed. “That side of you…..I hate it.” Her voice trembled as tears ran down her cheeks. “Even so, if it’s to protect you...I want to take up a weapon...even if I have to sacrifice someone!”

    Hak took a step forward and kissed the top of her head. I looked away, my face heating up.

    “Hak?” I heard her say.

    “....Quit telling me you’re going to protect me.”

    She looked up at him. “Why?”

    “Because I’ll get greedy.” I retreated back to where I originally was without a sound and pretended to be asleep. After a few minutes they came back, and I clambered onto his back without a fuss. We walked along the trail for a while, hoping to catch up to Yoon.

    “It’s become rather hard to see.” Hak looked around at the fog. _It’s definitely much thicker than before; I hope Yoon didn’t get lost or anything._

    “How far did Yoon go?” Yona asked.

    “The foggy phantom village...I have a feeling that village is around here…”

    I rested my head on his shoulder and he tilted his head. “So….what’s betwee-“

    “Hak! Hak, this is bad!” Yona’s voice was filled with panic.

    He swung his head around so fast that we head butted. “I can’t see anything!” He turned around to look for her. “Where are you?”

    Her voice came from ahead of us. “Over here!” Hak sprinted towards her as fast as he could with me on his back.

    “Come quickly! Yoon, he….he’s disappeared!” And as we looked at his belongings scattered on the dirt, an overwhelming feeling of dread washed over me.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like it! I know this fandom is small, but please give me feedback, I really appreciate it!


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